Pennsylvania Prosecutors: State Could Have Shut Down ‘House of Horrors’ Years Ago

by Jennifer Mesko

(Caution: graphic content.)

Prosecutors spent two hours today telling two Pennsylvania Senate committees about the “house of horrors” in Philadelphia where babies were killed after surviving abortions.

The departments of Health and State could have shut down Kermit Gosnell’s abortion clinic years ago, prosecutors said. A grand jury report revealed the state had failed to inspect any of its 22 abortion clinics for more than 15 years.

“We want better from our public servants,” the grand jury said. “We trust that their actions will be reviewed, and that they will be held accountable.”

Last month, the grand jury indicted Gosnell on eight murder charges. District Attorney Seth Williams said Gosnell “induced labor, forced the live birth of viable babies in the sixth, seventh, eighth month of pregnancy and then killed those babies by cutting into the back of the neck with scissors and severing their spinal cord.”

Sen. Robert Tomlinson, chairman of the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee, and Sen. Pat Vance, chairwoman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee, said their panels will investigate the state’s actions. Representatives from the two state agencies are expected to testify before the committees later this week.

Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia plans to introduce a package of bills to change how the state regulates abortion clinics.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD
The nation’s No. 1 abortion seller — which is not affiliated with the Philadelphia clinic — plans to re-train all of its employees who have direct contact with patients. The announcement comes after Live Action released several undercover videos that appear to show Planned Parenthood employees supporting sex trafficking rings and underage abortions.

“This footage shows that underage girls and young women are at potentially grave risk when they walk into Planned Parenthood clinics,” said Lila Rose, president of Live Action.

If you know of legal or health violations at an abortion clinic in your area, first file a complaint with your state health department. The local district attorney’s office is the next step. You can follow up with a pro-life lawmaker in your state.